Bulgaria

[BG] Amendments to the Consumer Protection Act introduce website blocking and tackle greenwashing

IRIS 2026-9:1/27

Nikola Stoychev

Dimitrov, Petrov & Co., Law Firm

On 24 September 2026, the Act amending and supplementing the Consumer Protection Act (Закон за изменение и допълнение на Закона за защита на потребителите – the Act) was promulgated in State Gazette No. 87. The Act transposes Directive (EU) 2023/2673 on financial services contracts concluded at a distance and Directive (EU) 2024/825 on empowering consumers for the green transition, and introduces notable new powers for the relevant authorities. Most provisions entered into force on the date of promulgation. The rules on greenwashing, durability and repair apply from 27 September 2026. 

The most significant development for the online environment is a new procedure for blocking websites. It applies where a trader on an online marketplace has not provided its name, address and contact details, or has provided false or incomplete information. It also applies where officials of the Commission for Consumer Protection (Комисията за защита на потребителите – CPC) have made more than three unsuccessful attempts to contact the trader within 10 working days. In such cases, the Chairperson of the CPC issues an order to stop the infringement, which is published on the CPC website. 

If the infringement is not stopped within three days, the CPC asks the Chairperson of the Sofia Regional Court (Софийски районен съд) to order all providers of public electronic communications networks and/or services to block access to the websites concerned. The court must rule within 72 hours, and providers must block access within 24 hours of publication of the court order. The same procedure applies to goods and services on online marketplaces the sale of which is prohibited by legislation enforced by the CPC. 

The Act also requires traders who conclude distance contracts through an online interface to provide a "withdrawal function". The function must be labelled "withdraw from contract here" or with a similar unambiguous phrase, and must be available throughout the withdrawal period. The consumer then confirms through a function labelled "confirm withdrawal". The trader must send an acknowledgement on a durable medium by the end of the same working day. For financial services concluded at a distance, the Act also expressly prohibits "dark patterns" in online interfaces within the meaning of the Digital Services Act (DSA). 

Another major change concerns green claims. The list of commercial practices that are always considered misleading now includes the following: 

- sustainability labels not based on a certification scheme or established by public authorities;

- generic environmental claims that cannot be substantiated;

- claims of neutral environmental impact based on offsetting greenhouse gas emissions;

- false claims about durability or repairability.

Finally, for many misleading and aggressive unfair commercial practices, legal entities now face fines of up to 4% of their domestic turnover in the previous financial year, determined under a methodology published by the CPC (which has yet to be adopted). Where turnover data is unavailable, the fine ranges between EUR 5 000 and EUR 50 000. 

In conclusion, the Act brings Bulgarian consumer law closely in line with the EU rules on the green transition and the digital environment. The website-blocking procedure gives the CPC a powerful and fast enforcement tool, with an immediate effect on online marketplaces and telecommunications operators. How proportionately it will be applied in practice remains to be seen.